NO FATHERS IN KASHMIR

Cert 15 Stars 3

There are few more promising dramatic scenarios than teenage romance in a war torn country, but this modern day coming-of-age tale is more concerned with raising awareness for its tragic real life background than delivering gripping spectacle.

Noor is a British teen visiting her grandparents who live in Kashmir, the poverty stricken border country which has been the centre of a war between India and Pakistani since 1947.

Zara Webb’s smartphone wielding attitude is wholly convincing, but she occasionally struggles to carry the emotional weight asked of her.

Through her relationship with a scooter-riding local charmer played by Shivam Raina, the script explores the tragedy of the thousands of ‘disappeared’ men who have been taken by the army, leaving the village women not knowing if they are wives or widows.

Threadbare thriller elements and grim reality sit uneasily with the underpowered romance and too many characters exist simply to explain a point of view.

There’s no doubting the filmmakers sincere intent but this may have been better structured as a straightforward documentary.

THE GRUDGE

Cert 15 Stars 2

This belated reboot of a long dead Hollywood horror franchise is reasonably coherent, borderline competent but not the worst horror film I’ve seen this week.

I don’t know what dark satanic pact Andrea Riseborough fell foul of to deserve to star in this, but credit to the talented Geordie who gives her all as a detective cop and widowed mother of one.

She’s investigating a series of deaths centred on a creepy suburban house, which suffers from a Japanese curse which once you’ve encountered is impossible to escape.

In its favour it relies on physical effects not CGI, and the sound design guys do their damndest to make you jump. As a grown man hides in a closet, there are several unpleasant deaths, bodies in the bath, crazy old crones and a velour bathrobe made me shiver.

But most terrifying of all is how all this good material manages to be consistently deathly dull. At least you don’t have to have seen any of the previous films in the series to dislike this one.

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE

Cert 15 Stars 3

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return in tandem in this long awaited and disposable action comedy sequel, a violent crime caper which trades heavily on their amiable chemistry and delivers a macho workout of shoot-outs and car chases, but is absolutely abstemious in portraying any sexual activity.

Age can’t diminish Smith’s charismatic swagger, and if you missed Lawrence’s unique brand of tomfoolery, then you’ll be entertained by his performance here, after some years away from the big time.

As Miami cops they’re hunted by a Mexican cartel intent on revenge for the sins of a violent career, a story which leans into the current US political climate with its tales of feckless African-American youths and promiscuous Mexican women with the power of witchcraft.

With Mexico presented as a shanty town of corruption and exporter of terror, drugs and violence to the States, a modicum of balance is offered by the cop’s young, diverse and insanely attractive hi-tech support team, lead by Mexican actress Paola Nunez, and including Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig.

Toning down the leering camerawork of the 2005 and 1993 instalments to favour drooling over expensive cars rather than bikini-clad women, Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah retain the slick, glossy, sun-kissed and hectic style pioneered by original director, Michael Bay, who is on hand to make an indulgent cameo.

Everything is photographed to make a reasonable budget look as if an extravagant amount of money has been spent, however the explosive set-pieces are noticeably smaller than the rival Fast Furious franchise, whose homilies about the nobility and prominence are ripped off by a workaday script.

And unlike the Mission Impossible franchise, the editing and cinematography seem designed to convince none of the actors are doing their own stunts.

With his name on the production titles at the film’s beginning, ahead of his credit on Tom Cruise’s upcoming Top Gun: Maverick, producer Don Simpson is having a banner year – an impressive achievement considering he’s been dead since 1996.

BOMBSHELL

Cert 15 Stars 5

This shocking, compelling and explosive real life drama explores the real life serial sexual abuse at the top of a TV network and the drama is powered by several brilliant and award worthy performances.

Oscar nominated Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie are joined by Nicole Kidman to complete an outstanding trio of talent, playing the sharp, smart, professional and highly polished news presenters, seeking to bring down the predatory boss of the Fox News TV network, Roger Ailes.

John Lithgow makes the most powerful man in American TV a horribly grasping and paranoid figure, who’s created an atmosphere of fear in order to maintain his monstrous regime of systematic sexual abuse.

Fox News and Ailes himself lack the cultural resonance in the UK they have across the pond, but imagine if Holly Willougby, Alex Jones and Steph McGovern announced they and a dozen more presenters had been abused by the Director General of the BBC, and you’d have some idea of the high profile shockwaves the case caused.

Robbie plays a fictional ambitious new employee called Kayla who’s model looks and  sweet nature puts her immediately on Ailes’ radar.

However it’s Theron who dominates the film as Megyn Kelly, Fox’s most high profile journalist, a spiky and demanding presence who describes herself as a lawyer not a feminist, and is more keen on high ratings than popularity with her colleagues.

Kidman has the least flashy but vital role as Gretchen Carlson, who sues Ailes after being demoted then fired after refusing Ailes sexual advances, which leads to his behaviour being made public for the first time.

Sadly the three actresses only appear altogether in the one brief scene, so we’re denied the fun of seeing three great acts sparking off each other.

The sheer volume of testimony is extraordinary and the scale of abuse is staggering, especially as we’re left with a postscript which is perhaps the most devastating revelation of all.

THE NIGHTINGALE

Cert 18 Stars 4

Easily the most cruel and harrowing experience of the year, this period Tasmanian revenge western is a bloodily violent condemnation of colonialism.

When an Irish convict hires an aborigine guide to take her across the wilderness so she can exact retribution on the British soldiers who casually murdered her family, their abrasive relationship finds common ground in a love of folk songs and a hatred of the English.

Aisling Franciosi gives an extraordinary performance in of trauma, anger and determination as Clare, balanced by the doleful humour of Baykali Ganambarr as Billy.

Meanwhile Sam Claflin’s murderous lieutenant is a magnificently evil combination of ambition, cunning and callousness, whose cross-country trek of rape and murder is a brutal microcosm of the British empire at its worst.

Crafted with a lyrical and furious integrity and economical purpose, it demonstrates director Jennifer ‘The Babadook’ Kent is one the foremost Australian talents with the potential to sit alongside Peter ‘Gallipoli’ Weir and George ‘Mad Max’ Miller.

LITTLE WOMEN (2019)

Cert U Stars 5

This joyous, moving and funny adaptation of the much loved literary classic bursts with wit, warmth, beauty and intelligence – and has a cast to match.

You don’t need to have read the book or seen one of the many previous cinema or TV versions to enjoy this one, as it’s thoroughly accessible, fresh and modern in its attitude, while being faithful and handsome in its period setting.

A sparkling coming-of-age period drama which explores the lives of the March sisters in the aftermath of the US Civil War, a fabulous cast sees Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen and Florence Pugh as the sisters, whose rapport rings remarkably true.

I’ve four sisters and have never before seen on screen a more honest and accurate depiction of sisterly love, camaraderie, rivalry and affection, while also maintaining their very distinct personalities.

Plus there’s wonderful support from Laura Dern as their mother, Meryl Streep as their Aunt, and the teen pin up, Timothee Chalamet as the local love interest and heir to a large fortune.

The casting is eye-opening considering how revered the novel is held in the US. Of the four sisters Ronan is Irish-American, Watson and Pugh are of course English, while Scanlen is Australian.

I don’t believe this reflects badly on American talent, but instead is a huge vote of confidence in the rest of the world, especially us Brits.

Ronan is very much the first among equals as the second sibling, she’s a consummate actress who’s incapable of a poor performance, and is exceptional here. While Scanlen is very affecting as the youngest and most timid and musical of the family.

Watson is the eldest sister and playing a mother is an interesting development in the career of the former Harry Potter star.

However it’s Pugh who gets the best lines and makes the absolute most of them without ever showboating. As the third sister, she has very clear eye for the economic and legal implications marriage has for women, which she points out to the audience in no uncertain terms.

Chamalet is great in a role where he is often required to  be unlikeable but is still able to generate a couple of big laughs.

Dern is soulful and quietly warm, wise and wonderful, and Streep as a wealthy widow and family authority is an imperious match even Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey might baulk from taking on.

It’s at least the fourth cinema version to sit alongside various TV films and mini-series of Louisa May Alcott’s famous 1868 semi-autobiographical novel.

Written and directed by Greta Gerwig with great authority, confidence and panache, this is a triumph which consolidates her position in the top rank of contemporary filmmakers.

While using her great cast to entertain us and the grand houses of the era to dazzle us, Gerwig deftly explores the ideas in the book which are still sadly relevant today, such as access to education, impulse buying, and glass ceilings in the workplace.

As such this is very much a companion piece to Gerwig’s 2017 directorial debut, Lady Bird, which also starred Saoirse Ronan. The actress earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her trouble, which was one of five Oscar nods the film received, which included a Best Director nod for Gerwig.

For now it should be Oscar nominations all round, not just for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress for Ronan, but Streep, Dern and Pugh all deserve a Supporting actress nomination, and Chalamet may sneak in a Best Supporting actor nod. And the casting agent definitely deserves some kind of award.

Plus the production design, costumes, editing and cinematography are all worthy of recognition. Little Women is full of massive talent and they deserves to rule the Hollywood roost.

THEM THAT FOLLOW

Cert 15 Stars 2

Rattlesnakes, guns and god are a poisonous mix in this soggy and leaden drama which is optimistically described as a thriller, but it lacks the necessary tension to keep us entertained.

In an Appalachian mountain redneck community the daughter of a local pastor is torn between marrying a suitor with a strong faith, or running away with the godless man she loves, a situation complicated by her secret pregnancy.

A great cast includes Brit Oscar queen Olivia Colman, regular Hollywood villain Walton Goggins, and upcoming star Alice Englert, who all give strong performances, but they’re weighed down by a pious script which seems to consider smiling, humour or levity to be a sin.

Plus there’s a lack of melodrama which would have made it more compelling, the pace is slow, the tone is one-note, and the film demands our sympathy for the characters without giving us any reason to like them.

21 BRIDGES

Cert 15 Stars 4

Black panther star Chadwick Boseman swaps the marvel superhero universe for the life of a New York police detective in this stylish, slick and violent crime thriller.

He forms an aggressive double act with Sienna Miller who gives the latest in a line of impressive performances as a narcotics officer with whom he’s unwillingly teamed.

They’re investigating the brutal slayings of seven New York police and a missing haul of cocaine.

Manhattan’s 21 bridges are sealed off to trap the suspects on the island, but the police only have until 5am to find them before the bridges must reopen for the morning rush hour.

This is the sort of hard-edged thriller Denzel Washington might have made in his action heyday with director Tony Scott, and Boseman carries himself with a similar magnificent brooding menace, intelligence and charisma.

A welcome willingness to address US social divisions gives depth to the drama and it’s never at the expense of the bullet-ripping action.

 

JUDY AND PUNCH

Cert 15 Stars 4

Traditional seaside entertainment is gloriously resurrected in this bawdy, boisterous and brutal medieval horror show which is not for the squeamish.

Best known as Alice in Tim Burton’s mega successful Alice in Wonderland, Australian actress Mia Wasikowska stars alongside fellow Aussie Damon Herriman as husband and wife puppeteers.

Their career has hit the skids due to his alcoholism and violence, and they’re now eking out a living in her provincial home town.

A shocking yet thoughtful and funny commentary on domestic violence, it’s a sadly contemporary tale of how powerful, famous and supposedly respectable men use their status to get away with the most horrific crimes.

Fiercely and inventively odd with a touch of Monty Python, it also shares the scabrous sensibility of Olivia Colman’s Oscar winning The Favourite which contributes hugely to this dark revenge drama.

It even cheekily sends up Russell Crowe in one of his most famous roles. Now that’s the way to do it.

 

FROZEN 2

Cert U Stars 4 

Warm your heart with Disney’s magical animated sequel which surpasses the first for fun and adventure and is guaranteed to enchant a new generation of young female fans.

Sticking rigidly to the formula which made the first film a billion dollar success back in 2013, it sees key members of the original cast and crew return on an action-packed sleigh ride of sisterly solidarity, gorgeous animation, comedy sidekicks and yes, inspirational, uplifting and impossible to ignore or forget power ballads.

Queen Elsa and Princesss Anna are living peacefully in happy kingdom of Arendelle, but when Elsa is troubled by a mystery strange siren call only she can hear, the country is attacked by dark magical elemental forces.

So in order to save their kingdom the sisters take their loyal companions, Olaf the snowman, Kristoff and Sven the reindeer, into the mysterious enchanted northern forest which their parents had always warned them to stay away from.

Directed again by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee in the style of musical theatre on ice, the animation and design are as great as you’d expect, with astonishing textures and attention to detail right down to the smallest stitch or snowflake.

All the major characters get their chance to sing, including the reindeer. They’re composed by double Oscar winning couple Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

As the headstrong, inquisitive and impetuous Elsa, Broadway legend Idina Menzel expressing her remarkable range and power in a full-throated performance, especially with the show-stopping and beautifully staged self-empowerment ballad “Show Yourself”.

Kristen Bell as loyal and brave Anna sings the haunting lullaby “All Is Found”, Jonathan Groff as the Dim well meaning Kristoff is given the 1980s style soft rock parody “Lost in the Woods”.

And squeaky voiced Josh Gad as Olaf the snowman gets his own joyous song about embracing change and not being afraid of growing up called “When I Am Older”.

And yes, the inescapable song “Let It Go” is given a mischievous and mercifully brief airing.

Olaf the snowman is once again the film’s most valuable player, a chilly chatterbox of innocence and humour who will have the little kids giggling in the aisles.

Plus he gets to deliver a very funny whistle-stop refresher of the first film for those of us fortunate not to have had to watch it on a loop for half a decade. Thank the lord for my having a son not a daughter.

Recognised it’s the little girls which made the first a global phenomenon are now teenagers with a different set of priorities, we’re given a romantic subplot involving the lovelorn Kristoff, showing how difficult and confusing courtship can be for the inexperienced.

Among the shipwrecks, missing parents, and long-standing unresolved conflicts, there are tiny cute dragons, ferocious water steeds, fearsome rock giants and a loveable herd of reindeer.

Elements of Brigadoon and The Lords of the Rings are added to the original inspiration of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen, and underneath all that there’s the unmistakeable DNA of smash Broadway show, Wicked, in which Menzel also starred.

Messages of seizing the day, reaching one’s potential, love triumphing over danger and the importance of building bridges not walls are added to a story which touches on the darkness of colonialism.

But Disney recognise the need to give the audience what they want and always put the entertainment first, and by allowing the characters to grow they keep the story fresh they leave the door firmly open for another sequel.